I’m just going to be upfront and admit it: I’m a total newbie when it comes to dystopian YA fiction. Fans of the genre are right now wondering what the heck I’ve been doing with my reading hours up until now.

Well, we’ve all got to start somewhere, and I’d say being handed Jane Higgins’ novel Havoc was a pretty good introduction to the rough and tumble of worlds tending towards irreversible oblivion.

I didn’t realise it at first (d’oh, newbie alarm sounding again!) but Havoc is actually Book 2 in the Southside Novels series. Book 1, The Bridge, won the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing in 2010 so it comes from strong pedigree.

Havoc picks up where The Bridge left off. It’s 2199 and The City remains divided. There might be a ceasefire between the two warring sides (Cityside and Southside), but it’s one that’s barely holding. Then Cityside blows up one of the bridges leaving Southsiders dead and conflict instantly re-ignited. In the bomb’s aftermath, teenagers Nik and Lanya are drawn into the complex web of power, fear and betrayal that’s fueling The City’s fractured war.

I really enjoyed stepping into this vivid futuristic world. In the hands of Nik, who is the only son of the chief spy for Southside’s Brekens, it felt like I was on a crazy, adrenalin pumping adventure full of wrong turns and intrigue…with a few perfectly timed lucky-breaks. Nik’s split loyalties between his new home on Southside and his past in Cityside injects the story with a great dynamic. I was right with this character as he tried to navigate his way around old relationships while following his new sense of purpose as something of a champion for the Breken cause.

The character of Lanya (and the chemistry between her and Nik) is another of the book’s strengths. Lanya is a smart, feisty heroine for readers to invest in. Nik and Lanya’s race to halt the widespread release of Cityside’s biological warfare is pacey and compelling.

There were times when I found the book’s political aspects a little confusing (so many factions with differing motivations) but had I read The Bridge first I’m sure this wouldn’t have been an issue.

Being the dystopian newbie that I am, upon finishing the book I was keen to know what committed readers of the genre had thought of it. As far as I can tell it’s getting a big wrap for not following ‘the usual tropes’ and many praise it for being an ‘intelligent’ read.

My assessment would be that this is a well-paced adventure into a world cleverly imagined.

CHEESYMITE (or whatever-you-mite) SCROLLS

I’ve made these scrolls three times over the last week for my little family. Cheese and vegemite is definitely the winning combination for my sons, followed closely by cheese and bacon. Normally I’d make life easier by making the dough in the breadmaker, but sadly mine died a sudden death a couple of weeks ago (gasp! I know, right?) Of course, you could use any combination of toppings that tickle your fancy – let me know what you come up with!

Dough

450 g / 3 cups plain flour

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

250 ml water

2 tbs olive oil

3 tsp yeast

Toppings

Vegemite / tasty cheese

Bacon pieces / tasty cheese

Shaved turkey / Camembert cheese / cranberry sauce Salami / spinach / tomato chutney / mozzarella cheese

In a large bowl, place measured ingredients in the order listed above. Bring together and mix with your (clean!) hands until you form a dough. Remove from bowl and place on a flat, floured surface and knead for ten minutes…you can thank me for the workout when you’re done. Place back into the bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Tip: olive oil in spray form on Glad Wrap works brilliantly. Place in a warm spot for aprox 30 minutes, or until your dough has doubled in size. After rising, punch the dough down with your fist and repeat the kneading and rising process.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

To make, divide your finished dough into two equal pieces. With a floured rolling pin, roll each piece out into as much of a rectangle as possible, around 1/2 cm thick. Keeping the widest part of the rectangle dough closest to you, spread generously with desired toppings. Carefully roll the dough up away from you, and then cut into 2cm thick slices. Place each scroll onto a greased oven tray and brush with egg. Bake for aprox 20 minutes, or until your scrolls begin to turn golden brown or cheese is bubbling.

Best eaten immediately!

Echo is the story of two lovers who are under a curse (the story will bear this out). One of them always loses the other, tragically. But the two of them learn to beat the curse: whenever one dies, the other time travels to the lost lover’s next (or past) reincarnation. The novel spans over a thousand years, to several different times and places; and it clearly illustrates the risks one will take, the lengths one will go, and the sacrifices one will make for true love.

The keywords that caught my attention with this book were curse, soul mates, and the story spanning over thousands of years. There were so many possibilities for how the story might develop.

The story starts out in the 460’s A.D., and Karissa has just appeared in Gaul on a mission to find her lost mate. We learn some historical background about what was happening at the time and in that area of the world. I really enjoy reading historical books and was getting my hopes up that this was leading to a very detailed and well-researched story with a mystery and romance at the core.

Unfortunately, I did not end up loving the book as much as I was hoping mainly due to the characters. Karissa didn’t seem to fit in this ancient world. What I mean is that she was very much a 21st century girl living in an ancient time and the two just did not mesh well. People were too patient with her inappropriate behaviour.

POV’s switched between Karissa and Adregin, and their names changed throughout the book as did the settings (time periods). However, I wanted information than I got ; for example, I never completely understood how the languages came so easily to them, or how they maintained their memories.

I believe that Echo would have benefited from pruning in some areas and expansion in others, but there were lots encouraging things about it, and some readers will find interest in the bigger picture ideas of reincarnation and the looping of the curse.

***For older readers

I’m super lucky to have been blessed enough to be born to parents who both don’t get acne, and to not have acne myself. Although, I know that’s not the case for every teen guy, and for the girls, there are tons of products (and probably a female figure who will help you with this kind of stuff)! So, I’ve devised a few full-proof acne removing treatments, that are male approved!

Not only will they help with your zit moderation, but you’ll look better, feel better and be more confident after doing these simple steps.

Keep reading to enjoy! 🙂

1. Wash your face!
If you shower at night, wash your face in the morning!

If you shower in the morning, wash your face at night before bed!

It’s an easy routine to remember and I’m sure it’ll greatly improve your acne situation, by cleaning your pores, and not trapping all that funky stuff underneath. Even if you don’t have acne, this is a great routine to fall into, as it keeps you looking fresh too!

2. Get more sleep!

According to a study in sleep, for every hour of sleep you lose, it adds 14% more stress on your body! Imagine what all that stress is doing to your face! Let’s just put it this way… It’s not doing any good. So, if you can get a few extra hours of sleep throughout the week, whether that’s going to bed a bit earlier, or napping after school, it’d be appreciated by your anatomy.

3. Cut back.

No, I don’t mean cut back on your work, or stress. I mean your sugar consumption! There’s a direct correlation between sugar and acne. There’s no arguing that what you eat will affect you! Yes, I know it’s harder than it sounds! Trust me, if you knew me, you’d know I eat more sugar than advised for 10 kids my age. But, if you’re suffering from break outs, I think it’s worth it!

4. Drink up.

Water too, is a great way to do some zit control. I’m again, guilty of this. I’d rather drink coffee, and slurpees than a glass of water most days, but like the sugar, it’s a sacrifice you’ve gotta make in order to clean up your look.

5. Buy something

This is the one I was avoiding, but if you’ve done all this, and you’re still not where you wanna be, I’d consider buying some Proactiv or something along those lines. I know those are generally more geared towards the females, but I mean, Adam Levine uses it, and you can too.

I hope this helped you all with your skin care worries! Be happy, be healthy and be zit free with these steps!

Chris 🙂

P.S. For the odd zit, put a bit of toothpaste on it, and leave that for a while. (preferably overnight, although if you’re short for time, half an hour will do just fine) The toothpaste should help dry that little sucker right out, clearing it up a bit more.

There’s a new drug on the streets for anyone who’s in the know. Glow appeared suddenly and, with the shortage of ecstasy, it is fast becoming popular. Raf and his friend, Isaac, have an interest in unusual narcotics and are both eager to try this elusive latest. Unfortunately, the real thing is not that easy to come by.

And, for Raf at least, Glow may soon be the last thing on his mind because, right now, so much other stuff is going down. Raf catches a glimpse of a stunning girl at a rave, his friend and landlord goes missing and, across London, Burmese men are being kidnapped off the streets.

As Raf begins to sort through the strange occurrences, he realises that they might all be tied to this new drug.

Glow is the third book from Man Booker Prize nominee, Ned Beauman. Not having read previous books by him, I was interested in Glow because of the attention it has garnered in bookstores and with its publishing reps. The scope of Glow is impressive. Set primarily in London, it nevertheless engages in the wider politics of Myanmar, China and, to a degree, the US.

The description of Glow’s London is superb. The eclectic mix of people and the wild, underground night-life brings the city to life. Beauman is also a master at deftly describing scenes, settings, and people.

The difficulty in novels like these is that they are exploring a world that most of their readers know nothing about, and the best way to do this is to introduce the main character to this world so that the readers can learn through him. The issue with this approach is that it plonks a privileged white guy right into the heart of an issue that he has no hope of understanding. And, because of who the main character is, a lot of the central cultural issues in the story are barely touched on, let alone given the depth of analysis needed.

Glow is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, Beauman’s technical talent in writing is evident. His research is also clearly extensive; Glow explores the science behind various drugs and delves into a reality-based sleep disorder that Raf has. On the other hand, half the time I’m not sure what story Beauman is trying to tell. Much of the writing – while lovely – runs off on unnecessary tangents. Where one sentence of description would suffice, we get five. When we need to know about the situation in Myanmar, we find out about Raf’s ex and Isaac’s latest drug experimentation.

Glow is an interesting read purely for its scientific analysis of the way humans work. It has a solid idea at its core and beautiful writing but the one does not necessarily support the other. The authorial voice is unique, though, and enough to make Glow an engaging read.

Glow – Ned Beauman

Sceptre (May 8, 2014)

ISBN: 9781444765526